How to Get a Fast Divorce in Florida (2026): Simplified Dissolution, Timeline & Cost

The fastest divorce in Florida is a simplified dissolution of marriage, which can finalize in roughly 30 days once the court's mandatory 20-day waiting period under Fla. Stat. § 61.19 has passed. It requires 6 months of Florida residency, no minor children, no pregnancy, no alimony request, and full agreement between both spouses.

Florida is a no-fault state, so neither spouse has to prove wrongdoing to end the marriage. That single fact is why a fast divorce Florida process is realistic here: when both people agree the marriage is "irretrievably broken," the only real variables are paperwork accuracy, the 20-day statutory wait, and the local court's calendar. This 2026 guide, written by a Florida attorney, breaks down the quickest way to get divorced in Florida, what it costs, and the specific requirements that separate a 30-day case from an 18-month one.

Key Facts: Fast Divorce in Florida (2026)

What Is the Fastest Way to Get Divorced in Florida?

The quickest way to get divorced in Florida is a simplified dissolution of marriage under Fla. Stat. § 61.052 and Florida Family Law Rule 12.105, which qualifying couples finalize in about 30 days. A simplified case skips the financial-disclosure exchange and the trial process entirely, leaving only the 20-day statutory waiting period and one brief joint court appearance.

Simplified dissolution is Florida's version of a summary dissolution — a stripped-down track for spouses who agree on everything. Because there is no contested hearing, no discovery, and no mediation, the case moves at the speed of the clerk's office rather than the litigation calendar. A couple qualifies only when they meet every condition: both are Florida residents (one for at least 6 months), there are no minor or dependent children of the marriage, the wife is not pregnant, neither spouse seeks alimony, and both have already divided their property and debts by agreement. Both spouses must sign the petition and appear together at the final hearing, and both waive the right to a trial and appeal.

If a couple cannot meet all of those conditions, the next-fastest option is an uncontested regular dissolution, which typically finalizes in 4 to 8 weeks. This quick divorce track still requires full financial disclosure but avoids the delays of a contested fight. To see which path fits your situation, a personalized divorce roadmap can map your answers to the correct track before you file anything.

Simplified vs. Regular Dissolution: Which Fast Divorce Path Fits?

Simplified dissolution is the fastest divorce process in Florida at roughly 30 days, but it is available only to childless couples who agree completely and waive alimony; a regular uncontested dissolution takes 4–8 weeks and remains the fastest option for couples with minor children or a support request. Both are far quicker than a contested case, which runs 4–18 months.

The distinction matters because choosing the wrong track adds weeks. Simplified dissolution eliminates the mandatory financial affidavit exchange required in standard cases, and it removes the possibility of a contested hearing because both spouses have already agreed to waive trial rights. A regular uncontested divorce keeps those procedural steps but still avoids litigation, so it lands in the middle. The table below compares the three tracks on the variables that actually control speed and cost.

Notice that the filing fee is identical across all three tracks — speed is driven by agreement and eligibility, not by paying more. You can estimate your own case length with the Florida divorce timeline calculator, which factors in children, agreement level, and county scheduling to project a realistic completion date.

Do You Meet Florida's Residency Requirement for a Quick Divorce?

At least one spouse must have lived in Florida for a minimum of 6 months immediately before filing, under Fla. Stat. § 61.021. This residency rule applies to every dissolution — simplified, uncontested, and contested alike — and a case filed without it can be dismissed, erasing any time savings a fast divorce Florida strategy was meant to deliver.

Residency is a jurisdictional requirement, which means the court has no authority to grant the divorce until it is satisfied. Proving 6 months of Florida residence is usually straightforward: a valid Florida driver's license, a Florida voter registration card, or a Florida state identification card issued more than 6 months before the filing date each serve as proof. When a spouse lacks one of those documents, Florida allows an Affidavit of Corroborating Witness — a sworn statement from a third party who can confirm the spouse's continuous Florida residence. Only one spouse needs to satisfy the 6-month rule; the other spouse can live anywhere.

This residency floor is why military families and recent transplants sometimes wait before filing. If neither spouse has lived in Florida for 6 full months, there is no legal shortcut around the requirement — the case simply cannot proceed in Florida courts yet. Confirming residency first protects the entire timeline, because a dismissed petition forces a refile and a fresh filing fee.

How Much Does a Fast Divorce Cost in Florida?

The court filing fee for a dissolution of marriage in Florida is approximately $408–$409, plus about $10 for issuance of a summons, as of March 2026. Verify the exact amount with your local clerk, because the Florida Legislature sets these fees and they can shift slightly. A simplified dissolution carries the same filing fee as a contested case, so the fast track saves time and attorney costs rather than court costs.

The filing fee is only the baseline. A truly low-cost, fast divorce Florida budget still includes a few predictable line items, while a contested case adds far larger expenses like depositions and expert witnesses. The breakdown below reflects common 2026 ranges; always confirm current figures with your county clerk, as costs such as service of process and mediation are set locally.

Florida offers an Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status for filers who cannot afford the fee. Approval waives the filing fee, though it does not cover service of process or mediation costs. In a simplified dissolution where spouses file jointly and sign waivers, the total out-of-pocket cost can stay close to the base filing fee — one of the biggest advantages of the fastest divorce process for cooperative couples.

The Florida Fast Divorce Timeline, Step by Step

A simplified dissolution follows a compact five-step sequence that spans about 30 days from filing to final judgment, with the 20-day waiting period under Fla. Stat. § 61.19 as the built-in floor. No judge may finalize any Florida divorce until at least 20 days have passed from the filing date, regardless of how quickly both spouses agree.

Understanding each step shows exactly where time is spent and where couples accidentally add delay. The steps below assume a qualifying simplified dissolution; a regular uncontested case adds a financial-disclosure step and a longer clerk-processing window, pushing completion to 4–8 weeks.

1. Confirm eligibility and residency. Verify the 6-month residency and that the marriage meets every simplified-dissolution condition before drafting anything.
2. Complete the joint petition. Both spouses fill out and sign the Petition for Simplified Dissolution of Marriage plus a marital settlement agreement dividing all property and debts.
3. File with the clerk and pay the fee. Submit the paperwork to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where either spouse lives, along with the ~$408 filing fee.
4. Observe the 20-day waiting period. The statutory clock runs; the court cannot enter a final judgment before day 20.
5. Attend the final hearing together. Both spouses appear at a brief hearing where the judge confirms the marriage is irretrievably broken and signs the Final Judgment of Simplified Dissolution.

The single most common cause of delay is inaccurate paperwork — a missing signature or an incomplete settlement agreement sends the file back and can add a week or more. Because both spouses must appear at the final hearing in a simplified case, coordinating that shared court date is the second variable to watch. For couples with children who cannot use the simplified track, reviewing how child custody arrangements work in Florida early keeps the parenting plan from becoming a bottleneck.

What Slows a Florida Divorce Down (and How to Avoid It)?

Four issues push a Florida divorce off the fast track and into a 4–18 month contested case: disagreement over property, disputes about minor children, any alimony request, and incomplete financial disclosure. Each one disqualifies a couple from simplified dissolution and adds mediation, discovery, or hearings that the fastest divorce process is specifically designed to avoid.

Minor children automatically remove the simplified option, because Florida requires a court-approved parenting plan and a child-support calculation under Fla. Stat. § 61.13 before any judgment. That does not doom speed — a fully agreed parenting plan can still finish as an uncontested case in weeks — but it does require the extra documents. Couples can preview support numbers with the Florida child support calculator so the figures are settled before filing rather than negotiated afterward.

Property disputes are the other major delay. Florida uses equitable distribution, meaning marital assets and debts are divided fairly rather than automatically 50/50. When spouses disagree on what is marital versus separate property or how to value a home or business, the case shifts into discovery and possibly mediation. Any alimony request also disqualifies simplified dissolution outright, because support terms must be litigated or negotiated. The pattern is consistent: complete agreement plus complete disclosure equals speed, and any unresolved dispute converts a quick divorce into a contested one.

How 2026 Law Changes Affect Divorce Speed in Florida

Florida's 2023 alimony reform (Senate Bill 1416, effective July 1, 2023) reshaped support law by eliminating permanent alimony, and it indirectly affects divorce speed in 2026 by making support outcomes more predictable. Under the current Fla. Stat. § 61.08, courts may award only bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, or durational alimony, with durational awards capped by marriage length and limited to the lesser of the recipient's reasonable need or 35% of the income difference.

More predictable rules can shorten negotiations, but they never make alimony compatible with the fastest track. Any alimony request still disqualifies a couple from simplified dissolution, so a case involving support is at minimum a regular uncontested or contested matter. The reform's structure does help contested cases resolve faster, because both spouses can estimate a likely durational cap instead of fighting over an open-ended permanent award. The table summarizes the current alimony framework that governs 2026 filings.

Durational alimony may not be awarded for a marriage of less than 3 years. For marriages of 3–10 years, the term cannot exceed 50% of the marriage length; for 10–20 years, 60%; and for marriages longer than 20 years, 75%. Because these caps apply to newly filed and certain pending cases, couples finalizing in 2026 operate entirely under the reformed rules. When support, property, or children are in play, working with a Florida divorce attorney is the most reliable way to keep even a contested case moving efficiently.